


The One that Got Away

by Meruchan0720



Series: Wrong Send [3]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Other, POV Outsider, School Reunion, redemption fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 23:30:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4368491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meruchan0720/pseuds/Meruchan0720
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The High School reunion AU no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One that Got Away

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: I've always been a believer in redemption especially for mistakes that happened during high school because of peer pressure, hormones and unneeded drama.

There is a day in an adult’s life that causes both anticipation and despair. In a world where everything is perfect, it is the day to reconnect with old friends, build new relationships, discuss families and reminisce about the good, old days in a fancy hotel with good music and great food. But underneath the pleasant façade of class and sophistication is the undeniable truth that hardly any of those things are true and the true significance of that day is dedicated to posturing, showing off and getting even.

Such is the nature of the high school reunion.

Ishiyama Mayu understands that more than most. She has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. It might seem petty but it had been a dream of hers since graduation to finally show her so-called “friends” how much she has changed over the years. She wants to show them how wrong they were about her.

She was the most popular girl back then. A lot of boys told her how cute she was with her bright, brown eyes and her sweet smile. She was on the short and thin side and a lot of them would get protective over her. She always received piles and piles of chocolates on White Day and letters in her locker.

Girls adored her shiny, black hair, asking her for tips on how to properly care for theirs. They fawned over her, telling her how pretty she was, how any boy would be lucky to have her. They fed her gossip on who had crushes on her. She was surrounded and protected from the “unworthy ones”.

It shamed her to admit that the attention went to her head. It broke her when she found out all they said and did were lies. Those same boys thought she was easy. Those same girls spread lies about her, stabbing her back. Even now, she still can’t recall things she said and did to please them without wincing in shame and regret.

Well, she’s going to set things right this time and move on. She’s older and wiser now. She has everything that any girl would dream of having: a promising career, a luxurious home and an expensive car.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

The venue isn’t as bad as she feared. It’s a spacious function room of a hotel farthest to the lobby and has a modern feel to it. It has stark, white walls softened by warm, yellow lighting and dark, tiled floors shined to perfection. The round tables strewn about the room proudly display Seirin’s colors: red and black. There is a stage at the far end where a band is setting up and she thinks she recognizes the faces of some of her old classmates. Beside the stage is the open bar where most of the crowd is gathered.

She decides to mingle there first. And maybe grab a martini or three. She feels eyes on her as she gets closer and she smiles a bit more confidently. A lot of people greet her as she passes and she greets them back even though she has no idea who they are or if she even knew them back then.

She spots more than a few familiar faces and smiles viciously at the way they turn away from her guiltily.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O

A couple of hours later and Mayu is already exhausted. It wasn’t fun as she thought. It didn't make her happy when she saw that some of her old classmates didn't get very far but she made her point and she’s almost ready to shut this part of her life and throw the key away.

There’s just one more thing left for her to do.

She finds him sitting at the lobby bar but she doesn’t approach him yet, unsure of her welcome. What happened between them in the past was not something she liked to remember and she hated her younger self for it. She has no excuse for her actions and the memory of a younger him, standing with his shoulders hunched, his voice trembling as he tried not to cry after she had brutally rejected him in front of her “friends”, haunted her for a long time.

She takes a deep breath, relieved that he hasn’t left and terrified that he will turn her away. As if he felt someone staring at him, he turns his head and looks at her. It takes a moment for him to remember her and when he does, a soft smile brightens his face.

“Mayu-chan, is that you?” he says and his voice is different now that he’s all grown up. “You’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Mayu thinks she’s going to cry. She clears her throat and smiles at him. “Thank you, Furihata-kun. Is it okay if I sit with you for a while?”

“Sure,” he replies warmly. “But I have to tell you, I’m a little distracted so I won’t be any good for talking.”

“No, that’s okay,” she says hastily, shaking her head. “I mean, not talking… is fine.”

She hates how lame that line sounded and takes the seat on his left and orders a cappuccino he insisted on paying. She takes quiet sips of her coffee, looking at him while he taps on his phone with a smile on his face.

Furihata Kouki has changed. For one, he grew taller. She can tell that if they were to stand side by side right now, she would only be able to reach his shoulder. He also seems broader around the shoulders and arms. She can’t tell clearly but he looks like the type to build some muscle while playing basketball, if the strained cloth around his arms were any indication. But there are things that still remain the same. Like how his hair is still standing in all possible directions, making him look younger than he is. His wide brown eyes are just as expressive as before, too, as if every little thing he encounters is such a wondrous surprise.

And his smile… it’s still as kind as ever.

“Um, I thought you weren’t here yet,” she says, making her want to kick herself for the lie (because she spotted him earlier) and for being a jerk (she doesn’t mean to imply that he’s not important to her).

“I’ve been here since it started, really,” he answers, taking no offense. Sometimes, Mayu has to wonder if he’s oblivious enough not to know when he should be offended. “I didn’t organize it but two of my friends are part of the committee. I said I’d help them prepare.”

She thinks she knows them. Furihata was rarely alone in high school. Being part of the basketball team meant he was always surrounded by his teammates but she knew that he always hung around with two friends from their year.

“I think it’s going well, so far,” she offers kindly. She is surprised by the way he snorts and fondly rolls his eyes.

“Well, it was almost a disaster, actually.” He then tells her a story that involved a woman, shoes and lobsters that had her clutching her stomach as she laughed until she cried. For the first time, she doesn’t feel pressured or stressed and things go smoothly from there.

They talk about a bunch of things and Mayu thinks that this is the best thing that has ever happened to her. She has never laughed like this for a long time and she thinks that she owes Furihata more than an apology now.

“So, what are you doing over here instead of in there?” he asks and his deep voice surprised her into looking at him. His head is tilted in the function room’s direction where the reunion is still in full swing.

She notices the cute little dimple on his cheek when he smiles. She clears her throat, feeling a little heat on her face. “I needed a little rest from, well, everyone,” she says, smiling shyly at him, “I’ve been talking to a lot of people and I needed a little peace and quiet for a change.”

He nods in understanding. “It can get a little overwhelming, I guess. I’m sure everyone wanted to catch up with you.”

Hardly the truth because now they resent her for having the life that they can’t have, she thinks. But Furihata really doesn’t need to know that so she doesn’t say anything.

“How about you?” she decides to ask. “Well, I’m waiting for someone,” he says and something in his voice is telling her that it’s definitely someone really special.

She pretends that she doesn’t know who he’s talking about and says, “a friend?"

To her surprise, he chuckles and he lifts his left hand. He shows her a plain gold band on his finger.

A heavy weight settles in her chest and she doesn’t really understand why she’s feeling disappointed all of a sudden. Thankfully, he doesn’t notice anything. “O-oh, I didn’t know you’re married, Furihata-kun.” She manages to smile but her voice is weak and she feels all the laughter and liveliness in her disappear. “She must be very special. She’s a very lucky woman to have you.”

She means that from the bottom of her heart.

Furihata chuckles, swiping his phone once before putting it back on the counter. “Thank you and he is. But in this case, I think I’m the lucky one.”

His eyes widen as he realizes what he just said and he looks at her as if he did something terrible. She can only imagine what she looks like with her jaw hanging open. For a moment, she thinks she heard him wrong but she knows she didn’t. She clearly heard him say “he”. That means that he’s married… to a _man_.

Is that even legal? Is this all her fault? Did she traumatize him so much that he decided to have nothing to do with women altogether?

“Kouki, I’m sorry for making you wait.”

A very handsome man steps into her line of sight, standing behind Furihata. He reminds her of a cat; a very large, very dangerous cat. He looks deceptively slender but she knows he has lean muscle hidden under that expensive suit he’s wearing. His bright red hair and eerie red eyes are very familiar.

He looks at her once then moves his gaze to Furihata as if he’s the only thing worth looking at. He lays a hand on his shoulder and suddenly, all the tension in Furihata’s shoulders bleed out as he tips his head up. It almost looks like they’re going to kiss but thought better of it but the heated glance they share with each other spoke volumes and the smile on Furihata’s face revealed great affection. The other man might not be as expressive but he looks softer around the edges somehow.

Mayu feels her face heat up. It suddenly feels like she’s intruding on something that she has no right to.

It takes them more than a couple of minutes before Furihata suddenly remembers that they have an audience. “Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners? Um, Seijuurou, this is Ishiyama Mayu,” he says with a bright blush on his face. “Mayu-chan, this is Akashi Seijuurou, my, um, my husband.”

Oh, so that’s why he’s so familiar. Akashi Seijuurou was one of the most popular basketball players in their high school tournaments. He was called The Emperor on the court and now, he’s gaining the same reputation in the business world.

“Good evening,” Akashi greeted and for a second there, she can feel that she is somehow in danger. She returned his greeting and could have sworn that one of his eyes glinted gold. But whatever oppressive feeling she got from Akashi disappeared when Furihata touches his hand.

He turns to her and smiles apologetically. “I’m sorry, Mayu-chan, but I think we have to leave now.”

“No, it’s okay! I certainly don’t mind,” she says with a shake of her head. “I’ll be leaving soon, too, anyway.”

“Okay, well, I just need to use the restroom real quick and I’ll be right out,” he says to Akashi and in a gesture that spoke of habit, she sees Furihata absently place a kiss on his husband’s cheek before darting off.

The tension suddenly thickens the moment Furihata turns around the corner. She looks at Akashi from the corner of her eye, watching him type on his phone before she turns her gaze back to where Furihata disappeared to, hoping that he would return soon.

She is still in shock that Furihata married a man but she believes they truly did love each other very much. She could see it in the way they looked at each other. Marriage for them might not be possible here in Japan but she can easily see them go to another country and make it official there.

She imagines how their wedding might have looked like. She wonders who proposed. She thinks about a lot of things that almost made her forget who was with her until he spoke.

“I am not sorry that you did what you did. I hated that it hurt Kouki but I consider myself the luckiest man in the world when you gave Kouki my number by accident,” Akashi says, making her jump. He’s looking at her and she can’t turn away. It feels like she is trapped. “Kouki is not one for grudges. He forgave you a long time ago.”

She doesn’t know what to say to that so she doesn’t reply but she does feel her eyes burn. Instead, she waits for Furihata with him so she can say her goodbye. When he comes back, beaming at Akashi with an excited twinkle in his brown eyes, Mayu thinks that Akashi is right. He is the luckiest man in the world.

She says her goodbyes and went ahead of the two. She can hear them arguing quietly behind her.

“Seijuurou, we really have to hurry. Your father’s expecting us.”

“We’re already late as it is. The old man wouldn’t mind waiting a few more minutes.”

“I love your dad like my own father but seriously, he’s impossible if he doesn’t get his way like someone I know."

“Let me worry about that.”

“Yeah, I know, _for sure_ , that isn’t going to work. Not with your father.”

“Yes, it will.”

“I can’t wait to tell you I told you so when he starts asking when he’ll have grandchildren.”

She waits for them to leave, waving goodbye, then she goes inside her car and leans back, taking deep breaths. She watches as they wait in front of the street and a very expensive car pulled over in front of them. Somebody opens the door and ushers them inside and before long the car speeds away and disappears into the night. She realizes that she’s smiling and the heavy weight on her chest is gone. She is happy for them and the love they found.

With a little regret, she realizes that it could have been hers.

**O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O_O**

**OMAKE:**

**In the car...**

Kouki makes himself comfortable on the soft leather seat, sighing in relief as he finally toes off his shoes and wriggles his toes back to life. He stretches the few kinks on his back before he shrugs his coat off and loosens his tie, not minding the added weight of Seijuurou's head on his thigh until it became clear that he hasn't taken his very expensive coat off. He removed it when he was asked before taking his position back on Kouki.

Kouki runs his hand gently through Seijuurou's red hair, loving the silky feel of them on his fingers. He applies a little pressure on his scalp, smiling at the pleased sigh that escapes his husband's lips. His eyes are closed and before long, Kouki knew Seijuurou will drift off.

Except, he doesn't.

There is a furrow in Seijuurou's brow that means he's thinking (more like brooding) about something. And when he broods, he can think of things too far ahead. Kouki is not one to let things lie especially when he is in this kind of mood.

He touches the furrow between Seijuurou's eyebrows and tries to smooth it with gentle strokes of his thumb.

"Seijuurou?"

No response.

"Seijuurou?"

Still nothing.

"Sei, what's wrong?"

He finally opens his eyes and meets Kouki's gaze. He blinks up at Kouki and his red eyes darken. "She likes you."

"What?"

"That woman, Ishiyama, really likes you."

Kouki's eyes widen impossibly before he starts laughing. "No, she doesn't. She rejected me ten years ago, you know that," he says between chuckles.

Seijuurou doesn't laugh. "She looked at you the way I do," he whispers.

Kouki sobers immediately. "Well, I love _you,_ " he stresses, leaning far down that his back ached with strain just so he can kiss the stubborn wrinkle in Seijuurou's brow away. "I don't know how she feels and I'm sorry to say that I don't care because I love you." He kisses the tip of Seijuurou's nose then finally his lips. "Just you."

Kouki smiles and his husband hesitantly returns it. He kisses him again for good measure.

Then he remembers how scared Mayu looked when they first met. "Just remember not to scare her next time."

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


End file.
